Kansas City TE Kelce Returns for 2018 NFL Training Camp

[INJURIES] Travis Kelce Did Not Participate in the 2018 Pro Bowl

Due to Injury, Kelce withdrew from playing on the Pro Bowl team. He had been Replaced by Delanie Walker.

It was unclear exactly what injury may have caused Kelce to withdraw from the game; his latest injury was the concussion sustained against the Titans in the Wild Card playoff round, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the day after the game that Kelce was doing well and could have been able to play the following week if the Chiefs had won.

Kelce, who had 83 catches for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, was one of four Chiefs selected to the Pro Bowl. Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt also got the nod (Hill as a return specialist), while Alex Smith was named as a replacement for Philip Rivers after originally being selected as an alternate. Walker, who was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2016, had 74 catches for 807 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Travis Kelce Talks Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Offense

In an interview, Kelce discussed quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the new starter, what the Chiefs offense will look like with receiver Sammy Watkins, the toughest defensive backs he has faced, and more. Here are some quotes with effective reactions below…..

Patrick Mahomes is ready. Both in his mentality and who he is as a person, Mahomes’ on and off-the-field is just as good as what Alex has been for the city of Kansas City. It’s going to be awesome seeing how this year’s team meshes and how they come together and see what can be achieved.

Ideally, fans love the praise Kelce is giving Mahomes. It’s easy to tell that losing Smith hurts Kelce, but at the same time, he knows how good Mahomes will be in 2018. It’s good to see the shared confidence in the new QB.

On adding Watkins: “Looking at it from my perspective, I think it opens up everything. Teams aren’t going to have the ability to hone in on two receivers. When you’ve gotta play the whole field —three receivers as well as a two-headed monster in the backfield between Spencer Ware and Kareem Hunt — it’s a dangerous offense.

You can see in coach (Andy) Reid’s past when he’s had those three weapons in the pass game and hard-nosed run game, the offense is unstoppable. It’s going to be interesting to see, like I said, how everything meshes together and how we build the chemistry on the team. But I think it’s going to be exciting.” – Wesley Roesch, ‘Chiefs Wire’

For the most part, adding Watkins will indeed open things up down the middle for Kelce. Teams will be so caught up in stopping Watkins and Tyreek Hill that they won’t be able to double cover Kelce or stack the box against Hunt. There will be mismatches everywhere.

Injury Analysis, Travis Kelce withdraws from the Pro Bowl

Kelce left the Chiefs’ divisional round game against the Titans in the second quarter after a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit by safety Johnathan Cyprien. The hit led to a scary few moments, as Kelce had to be held up from falling by right tackle Mitchell Schwartz after the play.

Kelce was eventually ruled out for the game with a concussion and Cyprien was not fined for the hit. With it being the second concussion Kelce suffered this season, pulling from a meaningless Pro Bowl game is likely a grand precaution. Still, it is certainly not a great sign, either. Kelce has a full offseason to rest and recover from the injury.

TE Kelce Embraces New Path for Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a lot of new look, when the 2018 season begins. Former quarterback Alex Smith, who by all accounts had a tremendous season in 2017, was traded this offseason to the Washington Redskins. The 33-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick will be replaced by second-year player Patrick Mahomes, who the Chiefs drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

“It’s going to be a fun locker room,” Kelce said in a telephone interview. “We’ve got a young group of guys who are hungry to play the game of football. And on top of that, it seems like everybody has great character behind the mask.

So it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to, but we won’t really know how well or how oiled up this machine is until we get going in training camp.”

Mahomes made one start last season — Week 17 against Denver — and led the Chiefs on a fourth quarter winning drive in the 27-24 decision. Mahomes, who was drafted out of Texas Tech, passed for 284 yards and showed enough moxie that the Chiefs turned their offense over to him. Kelce, who has been selected to three Pro Bowls and has twice been named All-Pro, will be counted on to provide more leadership and stability to the offense.

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“I’m excited about the challenge,” he said.

Kelce (6-5, 260 pounds) did not play in Mahomes’ only start last season as he and several regulars sat out the game. The 28-year-old Kelce said although he and Mahomes have not worked together this offseason, they did last year and have been communicating this offseason.

“I think it’s going to be a very smooth transition just because of how confident he is in his ability as well as his confidence in me being there for him on the field,” Kelce said.

The Chiefs enjoyed a great deal of regular-season success with Smith leading the way, but that did not carry over to the playoffs where the team was 1-5 with Smith. Kelce said Mahomes brings an element Smith did not have in his ability to keep plays alive by moving out of the pocket.

TE Kelce thought Alex would be more of a running threat. Consider the huge difference: Patrick has the ability to create. When things kind of break down, Mahomes can move and throw that thing anywhere on the run. So it’s going to be fun to see what he can do this year.

Kelce said he is healthy after leaving the 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the playoffs with a concussion. He was injured in the second quarter after catching a pass over the middle and taking a blow to the helmet.

Here are TE Travis Kelce’s general comments: “I’m great. I’m doing just fine,” he said. “I’m back in the weight room and ready to get back on the field.” Kelce has even more incentive to help the Chiefs achieve playoff success after his brother, Jason, won a Super Bowl last month with the Philadelphia Eagles. “The motivation is for us to get better and to hack away and try and get that ring,” he said.

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Quintin G.

ManIntheMiddle[qg]

FYI: Quintin Gomez is a freelance, entrepreneur who has experience in researching obstacles and lifestyles (i.e., cultures of manifestation). He has obtained and attained skills in [visual] communications during his tours as a [global] logistical officer.